This week we finished reading our text by Dana & Yendoll-Hoppey (2014). Throughout the readings this week, I started to think about how I might code the data for my inquiry. I started to feel a little anxious...what if I don’t have enough data? What if this has no meaning for anyone else? I found much relief in the quote, “Findings and conclusions do not materialize out of thin air- they come from careful scrutiny of your data as you proceed through a systematic process of making sense of what you learned” (Dana & Yendoll-Hoppey 2014, p.166). The reason I felt so relieved by this is because it helped me realize that all expectations are lifted. There is no required “outcome” for what my data should tell me. I think what I am trying to say, is that for the first time, this inquiry is feeling more personal. This is all about me and my practice, what I gain from this will directly affect me. If others learn from it…. that’s a bonus.
For the first time this year, I have started working on an inquiry and I am fully engaged in it right now. I am focusing on my practice in coaching preservice teachers to be better classroom managers. Ching (2011) discusses the challenges that preservice teachers have in taking what they have learned in coursework about management and transferring it to the field experience. Historically, studies show that new teachers struggle with classroom management in their first years of teaching. (Cakmak, 2008; Latz, 1992) So, I began to wonder how I could support my residents in learning to manage the classroom. So, I began by asking how my students feel about management in the classroom. From there, I plan to use directive assistance, group development and co-teaching (Glickman, Gordon, Ross-Gordon, 2014) to assist them with strengthening their management skills in the classroom. As I collect data, I keep wondering how much I should collect or if I have enough. I am looking forward to our upcoming class where I can get feedback on the data and possibly have the opportunity to talk with my peers about the amount of data I should be collecting.
This week we finished reading our text by Dana & Yendoll-Hoppey (2014). Throughout the readings this week, I started to think about how I might code the data for my inquiry. I started to feel a little anxious...what if I don’t have enough data? What if this has no meaning for anyone else? I found much relief in the quote, “Findings and conclusions do not materialize out of thin air- they come from careful scrutiny of your data as you proceed through a systematic process of making sense of what you learned” (Dana & Yendoll-Hoppey 2014, p.166). The reason I felt so relieved by this is because it helped me realize that all expectations are lifted. There is no required “outcome” for what my data should tell me. I think what I am trying to say, is that for the first time, this inquiry is feeling more personal. This is all about me and my practice, what I gain from this will directly affect me. If others learn from it…. that’s a bonus.
1 Comment
3/26/2015 12:01:53 am
I loved your ending thought - "if others learn from it... that's a bonus." What a great mindset! BTW - Your opening paragraph is starting to move towards technical writing, which is what we are going to work on when taking the annotated bibliographies and turning them into the opening paragraphs of your inquiry write ups. You are ahead of the game there and it shows that you are starting to think like an academic!!! wOOt!
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AuthorMy name is Tracy and I am pursuing my doctorate at the University of South Florida. I also supervise teacher residents in the Urban Teacher Residency Program at USF. Archives
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